Improvement in smut-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

DAN PEAsE, 0E FLOYD, NEw Yonx.

IMPROVEMENT IN SMUT-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,289, dated October 26, 1875 application filed June 11,1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAN PEAsE, of Floyd,

in the county .of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Smut-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specication.

My invention relates to certain improvements on those for which Letters Patent No. 118,048 were granted to me under date of August 15, 1871.

The invention consists, first, in the combination, with the suction-chamber, of a screen, made of wire-cloth, for the purpose of weakening the draft passing through the machine, and thereby preventing the chess and other light grains from being carried through the lues with the dust, smut, and other light particles.

The invention consists further in the combination, with the spreader, of a suction-flue, for the purpose of preventing the air which passes through the machine with the grain from interfering with or obstructing the operation of the current of air drawn through the fiues by the fan-wheel.

The invention consists further in a novel construction of the revolving cylinder, and of elastic wings attached thereto, whereby the current of air is equalized, and the grain is acted uponin a uniform manner throughout the cylinder, and the action of the wings is such as to prevent bruising or injuring the grain. Y

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a machine constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection taken in the line :c ac of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the spreader. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the revolving cylinder. y The frame A of the machine may be of any suitable construction. 'Ihe general external form and construction are similar to that shown in my patent of August 15, 1871. The stationary cylinder C is composed of links or bars of the same construction as those described in my patent of November 2,1869,No. 96,476, which bars are so connected as to leave spaces between them for the discharge of dust. Outside of the stationary cylinder is a case or shell, D, similar to that shown in my patent of August 15, 1871, and provided with openings g g for the discharge of dust, as described in said patent. E is a horizontal conduit, communicating with the stationary cylinder by an opening, h, and having its bottom inclined in two sections,ia1id j, with the section c' provided with an upright edge. Close to the edge are suspended a series of transverse plates, l, serving as spreaders. A pivoted plate, m, operated by a leveryn, is arranged in front of the plates l, so that it may be raised or lowered to enlarge or reduce the size of the openings between said plates near the open- 4ing h. Above the incline c' are suspended elastic plates or springs, arranged to be raised or lowered, bymeans of set-screws, to produce the desired spread of the grain. The parts -described above are substantially the same in their construction and operation as those described and shown in my patent of August 15, 1871, with the exception of the stationary cylinder C, which, as before stated, is constructed as in my patent of 1869. The lower end ofthe incline j discharges the grain directly into the ue F, which is upright, andranged in an inclined position in thechamber Gr, and extending nearly to the outer side thereof.

The lower edge of the screen G2, is attached to a board, g2, which extends entirely across the chamber at such a distance from another inclined board, g3, as toleave a slot-like opening, It, between the contiguous edges of said boards. On the under side of the board g3, at the upper edge, is a rib or bar, g4, the under side of which is beveled or inclined, as shown in Fig. l. As the current passes up the flue F intothe chamberG, carryingtwith it the chai" and light impurities, the screen G2 has a tendency to weaken said current, so that if there should be any chess carried up the flue4 into the chamber, the greater portion thereof will abut against the screen Gr2 and fall into a spout, Y, and upon a valve, @whence it may fall out by its own weight, as described in my patent aforesaid.v In case there should be any particles of chess lighter than therest pass beyond and above the screen, they will fall by their own weight and pass through the slotlike opening h and `fall into the spout Y. The rib or bar g* has a tendency to deect the current downward and prevent the chess from being carried through the slot-like opening h, while, atlthe same` time, it allows a portion of the `air to pass through said opening and c0- operate with the screen to weaken the current and preventthe chess from being carried beyond the screen.

In my patent of August 15, 1871, in order toreduce the work of the fan and utilize the current of air escaping with the grain andv chaff 4from the cylinder C, I employed a slantin g plate behind the `spreaders Zand above the inclinej, and the airpassing out of the cylinder with the grain escaped up the slanting plate and through an opening in rearofV the Elue F. This arrangement'interfered with the current passing up the ue F, and did not Fully answer the desired purpose.

Inmypresent invention I dispense with said slantingplate, and alsowith the opening re Eerred to, and I use for the same purpose a` suction-flue constructed as follows: In the ue E, just above where the incline j discharges the grain, is' an opening or slot, f, running the entire width of the due. Above the upper edge )fithis opening or slot the flue F is larger from tront to back than below said slot. 0n the inner side ofthe flue F is a metal plate, g2, which extends from the lower edge ofthe slot toa short distance above its upper edge, 1eav ing a channel or opening, f2, between the upper edge ofthe slotand the upperedge ofthe plate.- On the side of thelne F toward the Iinside of the machine `I place a board, g3, havlng cleats or bars at its ends to cause it to standout from the rear side of the ilue F. Ihis board, thus arranged, forms a flue, F2, zommunicatingwiththe iiue F, through' the slot f and channel f2, and having its open lower endlimmediately over the spreaders l andincline j. As the" currentlcreated by the t'an passes up the flue F a'suctionis created through the line F2, so that asl the air escapes from the cylinder with the ,grain it is drawn up through the suction-due F2 in to the flue F, where it is enlarged for thatpurpose, combin` n g with the current passing. through said iue F, and not retarding .or interferingwiththe same, while the grain rolls downtheincline j andlis discharged as before described. A

In smut-machines constructed according to my former patents the revolving cylinder has ,lsually been made so1id,or with solid heads,

and provided with wings running lengthwise, and also extending below the cylinder, and made wider below than on the sides. When so constructed they caused a very strong current upward from where the wings extended below the cylinder, the object of which was tothe'process of thrashing many kernels of grain are mashed or partially broken, rendering them much lighter than the unbroken kernels, so tl1at,when passed through the smut-machine', they were held up by a strong current of i air until they were broken up and passed through` the openings provided for the escape of smut and dust. v

To remedy this defect is the object of the present improvements in the revolving cylinder, which I construct as follows: The upper head B1 is made solid, and is provided with clearers b. These clearers are fully described inone of my former patents, and do notrequire special description here. The lower head B2 is of skeleton construction, and is attached to the shaft whichicarries the upper head, but is smaller in diameter than said 1upper head. On the under side of the upper headis secured a circular board or plate, B", of the same diameter as the skeleton-head B2i: To the edges of the boardor plate B", and of the skeleton-head B2, are attached anumber of ribs or cleats, b", which may be secured to the heads by means of bolts and nuts,as shown, or in any other suitable manner. To each of these ribs or cleats bxI attach two metal plates, c1 c2, by means of screws or bolts passing through the platesand into the rib; The back-plate c1 is somewhat wider than the space taken up by the rib, and the front plate c2 is considerably wid'er, and extends inward between the heads, toward the center of the cylinder, in a direction which ispartly radial and partly tangential, because said plate is slightly bent about midway of its width, so as to make it slightly concave for its entire length. The plates c1 c2 are so attached to the rib b" as to leave a tapering or V-shaped space be# tween them for the reception of the elastic wing, which consists of a `plate or strip of metal, C", placed between the front and back` plates. It is attached between said plates by means of hooks d', each of which passes through holes in the plates and inthe wing, and is secured by hooking its rear end over the projecting end of a spring, e,`on\the rear side of the rib b". The springe is formed of a piece of wire or other metal, one end of which is secured to the rib, to hold it in place, and the other end is free for engagement with the hook d.` By this means the hooks `may be readily removed when it is desired to take out the wing to replace it, or for any other purpose. The holes in the wings, through which the hooks pass, are punched through from one side, which causes a burr on the other side. This burr bears against the surface of the back plate c1, and thus allows an elastic vibration of the win g between the two plates c1 c2, as the cylinder revolves. The

' lower end of the'wing()x is bent in a forward direction, as shown, for the purpose of nre venting the lgrain from falling to the bottom in too much of a direct line.. The skeletonhead is placed in such a pdsition that the elastic wings and attached plates extend somewhat below it. This allows the air to pass freely into the lower end of the stationary cylinder, where more air is required than inthe upper part, which upper part is supplied with air through the skeleton-head. This `construction of the revolving` cylinder prevents a strong upward current, such as I have referred to as being objectionable in my former patents, and causes a uniform treatment of the grain throughout the cylinder. The light stuff passing out with the wheat is taken outby the separator, vand the broken kernels are carried up with the screenings. By making the wings elastic, they operate upon the grain ina gentle manner, as they are allowed to yield and vibrate between the plates c1 c2, and therefore do not strike the grain with such force as rigidbeaters, and, consequently, will bear more velocity without breaking the grain. As the cylinder revolves, the concave form of the front plates c2 prevents the grain from being carried toward the center, but tends to throw it outward against the stationary cylinder, while the 4bent lower edge of the elastic wing prevents the grain from falling too rapidly to the bottom, and causes it to be discharged outward instead of downward, and at the same time adds to the durability of the wing. The chamber Gr is provided with a damper or draft regulator, Q,

3. The combination, with the revolving cylinder, of the elastic wings C", constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purpose shown andv described.

DAN PEASE.

Witnesses BENJAMIN W. HOFFMAN, FRED. HAYNEs. 

